Don Lemon blasts Trump for political posturing after friend dies of coronavirus

The CNN anchor is angered by the president's COVID-19 response

Apr 14, 2020

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Don Lemon blasted President Donald Trump over his “epic meltdown” after a sharing that a close friend of his died from COVID-19.

On Monday’s episode of CNN Tonight, the anchor revealed that his good friend, LGBTQ advocate Robby Browne, died from the virus over the weekend. He took offense to Trump’s press briefing earlier in the day where he proclaimed that his authority was “total” to force states to reopen their economies.

“When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that is the way it’s gonna be,” Trump told reporters. “It’s total. And the governors know that.”

Lemon said that Trump was “all about defending himself, gaslighting, rewriting history, instead of giving Americans the facts that we all need to save our own lives and the lives of people that we love.”

We lost a good one. #rip my dear friend. https://t.co/J8U82ZNOTO

— Don Lemon (@donlemon) April 13, 2020

Lemon shared the impact Browne’s passing has had on him.

“I lost a very good friend this weekend. I wanted to hear from the president how he is going to stop that from happening,” said Lemon. “Instead, I got a campaign video. What do I need a campaign video for?”

“I want to know how you’re going to stop my loved ones from dying. I don’t need a campaign video, Mr. President,” Lemon continued. “How are you going to keep friends and loved ones from dying? It is crystal clear from what happened today what the president’s top priority is defending himself rather than focusing on the health and well-being of the American people.”

This is not the first time that Lemon has checked the president. In March, the CNN talking head accused Trump of gaslighting the country after he was adamant that he’d always taken the COVID-19 virus seriously.

“That is gaslighting, pure and simple,” the host explained to viewers. “The president of the United States is gaslighting you, and you deserve to know.”